Linux Ubuntu 12.04 XBMC and Bumblebee

Hi All,

Was hoping someone had come across this before
I've got a laptop that I've installed Ubuntu 12.04 just generic build with XBMC on top

Unfortunately this laptop is using Nvidia Optimus and when I start XBMC it's using the onboard Intel chip instead of the Nvidia GT540M

Now I've installed Bumblebee and I can use optirun xbmc to start it from the desktop and it uses the Nvidia card fine

What I would like is for XBMC to run at startup ( I can do that by changing it as the default instance on the logon screen) but when I do that by default it goes to the Intel chip
Is there anyway I can autostart XBMC using optirun?

Thanks,

Howdy.

Are you sure that it is using vdpau via 'optirun xbmc'?

I tried this with mplayer-vdpau and its a big fail...

Have you tried editing the lightdm session configuration files? Kind of pointless though as bumblebee doesn't have support for vdpau.

I've embraced VAAPI - seems to work well, actually given my first toe into that side of the pool.

As you said though too...the GT 635M in the laptop is now essentially a paperweight. I went out of my way to buy an ultrabook with a discrete nvidia gpu - score! ;-)

Anyways, I can at least use the GPU for the 1 hour per year I may try out steam or some other opengl game...optirun works well with that from all accounts. Main thing is looks like XBMC will work well with the iGPU - this'll be my portable setup now.

---

PS: 'XBMC and Bumblebee' also HAS TO BE one of the cutest titles here on in the forums don't ya think?

Yeah i wonder how many people bought optimum laptops thinking 'its nvidia, it'llwork fine ' I know I did. Oh well, and when nvidia and the kernel developers kiss and make up we may get vdpau support. Xbmc and bumblebee - sounds like a kids bedtime. E story hehe

Or like a kickass Transformer

Albeit Bumblebee is bit defective (the voice synth) -- Just Like Nvidia Optimus crap (not like Optimus Prime at all)

Way offtopic but the shoe fits

uNi

I went out of my way to buy an entry-level 'ultrabook' (oxymoron yes I know) thinking I was so sophisticated. I heard about the Optimus knick-knack before, but was unaware they were 'muxless' ie. you can't turn one or other of the damn GPU's off.

I also found a few Bumblebee + VDPAU 'when will we have it' threads. They are decidedly depressing. Most started off optimistic and then were shortly closed after devs basically said it'll never happen.

Anyways, this is the one I ended up getting...my almost 'ultra' book specs. i5-3317u, 24 GB SSD 'cache', GT 635M + 1TB HDD. Runs everything really well. Boots to lightdm login manager in about 12 secs or so off of the SanDisk SSD.

It also came with Win 8 on it - holy hell, what a trainwreck that is...I exercised it from the system ASAP and now have the whole 1TB drive for local / portable storage - recovery partitions be damned. ;-)

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=ne...px=MTI3NTM

Maybe in ubuntu 13.10 optimus will work like it does in Windows. I too have upgraded to a ultra book but will check out how well vaapi works with the Intel gpu on the retired Asus 1215n and I suggest the OP try the same.